Police: Car stolen in Hope used in bank robbery getaway; 2 people charged

PORT JERVIS, N.Y. -- Two suspects have been taken into custody after police say they robbed two banks and then fled to Virginia in a vehicle they stole in Hope Township.

Port Jervis Police have charged Erin Keppel and Steven Steele, both 32, with second-degree robbery and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property. The Village of Monticello Police have charged Keppel with third-degree robbery and third-degree grand larceny.

At 9:50 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 18, Monticello Village police responded to a report of a robbery in progress at the Jeff Bank located on Forestburgh Road in Monticello.

Officers arrived at the scene and determined that a female entered the bank and stole an undisclosed amount of money after presenting a note to the teller demanding cash, according to the Port Jervis city police.

The suspect fled the bank on foot and was shortly thereafter identified through surveillance video footage by a Monticello police dispatcher as Keppel, according to police.

At 11:10 a.m., Friday, Nov. 24, Port Jervis police responded to a report of a robbery in progress at TD Bank North located on East Main Street.

Officers arrived at the scene and determined that a female suspect had stolen a quantity of money from the bank after presenting a note to a teller demanding cash, police said.

An investigation revealed that the female suspect entered an awaiting Nissan Frontier pick-up truck operated by a male subject and fled the scene toward the New York/New Jersey border, according to police.

The vehicle was later determined to be stolen from Hope Township, in Warren County, N.J., and was later recovered in Stafford County, Va.

Police said they were able to identify the female suspect as Keppel through bank surveillance video.

A team of investigators located the suspects in the area of Stafford County where police said they had abandoned the stolen vehicle.

Further information obtained by investigators led to the apprehension of Keppel and Steele by Fredricksburg, Va., city police at a bus terminal in Fredricksburg.

Port Jervis police, Monticello police, the Sullivan County District Attorney's Office, and the New York State Police interviewed the suspects in Virginia and charged them in connection to both robberies.

Both suspects, who are also facing charges in Virginia, are awaiting extradition to New York.

Town of Deerpark, Stafford County (Va.), New York City, and New York state police departments and the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force also assisted in the investigation.

Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

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